One of my hobbies is walking battlefields and that will probably be the major source of posts. Plus I will post about other things that spark my interest, from oddities found while researching to observations on the war.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day

I just wanted to give my thanks to all the veterans out there. And take a moment to remember the many soldiers who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom today.

I always make a point of visiting cemeteries during my battlefield treks. At nearly every cemetery I see some reference to Theodore O'Hara's poem "Bivouac Of The Dead" The full text can be found at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/bivouac.htm, but here are the first few lines:

3 comments:

A bit more about Theodore O'Hara, given your fondness for the battle of Shiloh.

Theodore O'Hara wrote the poem for the Kentuckians killed at the battle of Buena Vista. At the time he was serving as an assistant quartermaster, and was honorably discharged after the war.

He was appointed one of the captains of the 2nd US Cavalry when it was formed in 1855, though he resigned a year later and returned to civilian pursuits.

It would have been during this year, however, that he made the acquaintance of the regiment's colonel, Albert S. Johnston. When the Civil War broke out, he served as a colonel in the staff of the Confederate army. He was an aide de camp and assistant adjutant general to Johnston, carrying orders for him on the field of Shiloh when the general received his mortal wound. O'Hara returned to Johnston's side just after he expired, and accompanied his remains to New Orleans. After that he seems to have disappeared.

About Me

I am a Civil War nut. I graduated from the University of Colorado-Denver in 2001 with a BA in History. I'm always searching for more knowledge. I buy a ton of books, though space constraints have limited me of late, and I also download a ton of books. I'm always planning battlefield treks as I think these are important to really understanding a battle. Reading only does so much, walking the fields fills in the rest. And when I'm on a battlefield I really walk it. I like to go someplace and take a week to walk everything, get a feel for everything, and take a ton of pictures.